RECENTLY I had cause to use the Stroud Hospital Minor Injury and Illness Unit (MIIU).

I was suffering from an ear infection and, because I am already completely deaf in one ear, I am obviously sensitive about my hearing.

I was treated swiftly, efficiently and sympathetically – typical of Stroud and why I, like so many local people, want to keep the MIIU open. MIIUs are staffed primarily by nurses.

The reason behind the current consultation is the need to respond to the Care Quality Commission’s report following an inspection of the trust.

The key outcome from the inspection was that there should always be two registered nurses on duty.

Unfortunately, it has not always been possible to find enough nurses in order to fulfil this new commitment.

Locally, there is almost full employment and with Brexit looming, it will remain challenging to identify more qualified nurses.

The trust – Gloucestershire Care Services – has made every effort to recruit more nurses.

Another ongoing issue is the sometimes excessively small number of patients actually using the MIIU.

To make things work, it is essential to provide a consistent service and to be sure patients are correctly “signposted” to the most appropriate provision for them.

This is why 24/7 care should be available but it should not be reliant on A&E provision by our acute hospitals (Gloucester and Cheltenham).

The Trust is looking at three possible options. My preference is for Stroud and the Community Vale Hospital (Dursley and Cam) to be “Urgent Care Centres”, supported and connected to local access hubs.

I have advanced these thoughts to the Trust and I have discussed them with local healthcare experts.

This would help to deliver 24/7 healthcare without relying on acute hospitals.

In terms of resources, the government has made available a further £10 billion per annum in real terms by 2020/21.

Of course, this is a national figure and the NHS must deploy funding to match identified priorities but, with significant demographic changes, the case for community care has rarely been stronger.